Euler as an educator

Abstract

While many people know Euler's great textbooks on algebra and the differential calculus, and his renowned Letters to a German Princess, they may not be so familiar with his arithmetic text, or his texts relating to the instruction of the navy and the military, or indeed his proposal for the restructuring of the Gymnasium (preparatory school) in St Petersburg. These texts comprise a fraction of Euler's prodigious output but taken together they show the breadth of Euler's interest in education, an interest that stretched across a variety of subjects and a variety of students. This article is based on a talk given at the BSHM Euler anniversary meeting in July 2007.